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Lived experience at centre of care advisory group |
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Membership of an interim board tasked with advising Scottish ministers on the future of social care has been announced.
The advisory board – set to meet for the first time on 21 May – brings together independent and third sector care providers, NHS, council and integration joint board (IJB) leaders, and disabled people’s organisations.
Four individuals with experience of health and social care have also been appointed.
Ministers also intend to appoint two more members to the interim group: a person with care experience as a young person and a trade union representative.
The interim board was established following the scrapping of large parts of the National Care Service Bill, to advise ministers on where improvements can be made to social care, social work and community health services.
To be chaired by experienced equalities, health and disability consultant Susan Douglas-Scott CBE, the interim board aims to help government “get underway more quickly” on making changes.
Voices of lived experience to provide “constructive challenge” and solutions
Among the newly appointed members is Tracey McFall, CEO of Scottish Recovery Consortium, who brings nearly 30 years of experience working in health and social care.
She described her appointment as a “privilege” and pledged to ensure “the voices of individuals and communities are heard and stay central to these developments” and told healthandcare.scot:
“Scotland has a real opportunity to make care and support more accessible and equitable for all of our communities across Scotland and my hope is to bring my experience, skills, and knowledge of working in the sector for over 25 years to provide constructive challenge as well as an asset based, solution focused approach.”
Also appointed is Sandra Auld, who currently sits on Perth and Kinross IJB, following her nomination as a lived experience representative by the ALLIANCE.
Ms Auld, who sits on Perth and Kinross IJB, told healthandcare.scot she is delighted to see the government’s commitment to centring the views of people with lived experience is reflected in her and fellow members’ wide breadth of experience:
“I’m so pleased to have a voice as part of this board and the emphasis on lived experience is really, really important.
“This is an opportunity to ensure, from my perspective, that the voice of lived experience is not only heard but acted on. I’m really looking forward to start work.”
Former Liberal Democrat MSP and current chairperson of the ALLIANCE, Jim Hume, also joins as an individual member and said:
“It is essential that the work puts people who use and deliver social care and community health services at the centre of the National Care Service.”
Meaningful and lasting improvement?
Local government will also be represented on the interim board. A COSLA spokesperson welcomed the board as “an opportunity to progress meaningful and lasting improvement of our health and social care services” alongside people with lived experience.
Other represented organisations include Glasgow Disability Alliance, Inclusion Scotland, Scottish Care and Coalition of Care and Support Providers Scotland (CCPS).
These organisations alongside the ALLIANCE recently raised concerns over the ability of the non-statutory advisory board to have ‘any genuine effect’ on the future of social care without a commitment from ministers to act on its recommendations.
They said in a recent joint position paper that the advisory group should focus on oversight, commissioning, funding and establishing a clear consensus on the purpose of a National Care Service.
Recruitment for the final advisory board continues.
The full list of members of the National Care Service interim advisory board:
Read more: Interim chair for government care advisory board; Government ‘lacks urgency’ on care reforms
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